


i ship it

by reincarnationofalovebird



Category: Orphan Black (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, cophine - Freeform, super cute lemme tell ya
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-02
Updated: 2014-07-02
Packaged: 2018-02-07 02:29:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1881705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reincarnationofalovebird/pseuds/reincarnationofalovebird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a prompt from bitterblue/politeyeti! </p>
<p>research librarian!Delphine and constantly in the library college student!Cosima, bonus points if she gets caught reading fic on one of the library computers</p>
            </blockquote>





	i ship it

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bitterblue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bitterblue/gifts).



She’s always there. From the point Delphine walks in for her shift, curls bouncing merrily as she strides up the stairs and through the brightly lit rooms to the Arts & Sciences section of the library, and usually until the point that she has to force everyone to abandon whatever they’re poring over for the day, this girl is there. It doesn’t go unnoticed by the groups of librarians that this girl sits there each and every day at precisely the exact same table, with her biology and evolution texts spread out in front of her. Her posture is sprawling, all limbs and languid expanses of muscle and bone that hang loosely over the arms of the chair she’s claimed for the day.

 

This girl is nothing short of unusual, as she discovers over time. Some days she sweeps in with a long, lanky stride and hips that always sway to and fro, clutching a small leather satchel that fits in an impossibly large, ever-changing assortment of books and pens. When she upends the small sack, a melangerie of various supplies tumble out, but the only consistent items that constantly roll out are a rich magenta leather notebook, lovingly adorned with, _This notebook is property of Cosima Niehaus_ , in a swooping script on the inside cover, a lean oblong canvas casing, which Delphine has not yet learned the contents of, and a sleek, brightly colored laptop. Cosima scrawls away in the notebook as she flips through pages lightning-swift, and Delphine constantly finds herself wondering how Cosima manages to avoid papercuts.

 

If Delphine were truly honest with herself, she would admit that working as a research librarian as a side gig was not nearly as interesting as she had hoped it to be. There aren’t many people to look after, and books can take care of themselves. After all, they’ve made it all this way through time (the cretaceous era, she judges the older books to be from), and needless to say, they can make it through the next decade without any trouble.  Although the job itself left her more than plenty of time to herself, it still wasn’t the most entertained she’s ever been by people.

 

There are other regulars, of course; among them a brilliantly renowned scientist and professor with the shiniest dome of a head and sharpest features Delphine has ever seen (Never before has a man been so hard edged, in the literal sense, she thinks.), and an elderly lady decked out in vivid swathes of scarves that shimmer saccharine in the fluorescent lighting. Curiously enough, they both wander off into the genetics section, not to be seen for the next few hours, on average.

 

Cosima, though, is by far the most peculiar and intriguing thing about this library. Her topic selections and what she seems to be studying are rather interesting each time Delphine passes by, and her hands seem to fail in tests of inertia. They flit back and forth, from chattering on the keys of her silver laptop, looping barely legible chicken-scratch on a page of that notebook, or simply flicking a pen endlessly while she absorbs ink from the pages in front of her.

 

She makes a point to pass by each time she sees Cosima- that just happens to be almost every day, but that is, of course irrelevant, when it is part of her job, no?

 

\---

 

Delphine’s doing her daily rounds one late evening, glorious golden curls illuminated harshly by the excessively bright lighting, soft curves stark against the modern edges of the library’s decor, ensuring to pass by Cosima to simply ensure she’s doing alright as she always does, and as she always will when Cosima is around. If she were true to herself, to her feelings, she would realize that Cosima had endeared herself to Delphine without doing practically anything consciously in her favor. Delphine has always known herself to be a loving creature, a sweet one but not without flaws that often cause her to shy away from much.

 

However, Cosima has shattered this barrier without a single word, an admirable feat.

 

Tonight is one of unusual attire for Delphine, against her typical style. The long sleeves of her warm jersey top are crumpled around the elbows, and long, tight black jeans grasp at lean thighs. She passes Cosima’s table in two easy lopes, but a hand snags around her wrist and forces her to twist and swivel around. She barely saves herself from literally falling for this strange girl, and takes a rapid stumble-step to return to standing upright, clutching the hand that is wrapped around hers. Cosima has turned around fully for once, and Delphine can see her face clearly. Solid black frames perch on the tip of her nose, and a broad smile sweetens as it grows. In her smile’s wake, her cheeks spread and stretch, and Delphine is even more taken.

 

“Uh, hey. You’re the librarian, right? Are you okay, ‘cause like, you always seem to pass by and I’m totally not sure whether to be concerned for you or for me? But hey, I guess. I’m Cosima,” she says, a flicker of bright white teeth poking out from the edges of her grin.

 

“I know,” Delphine blurts. She saves herself from an odd glance with an awkward flopping gesture towards Cosima’s worn notebook, where it sits on the palm rest of her laptop. “It says on your book. You always have it out. And erhm, you’re also here quite often, so I couldn’t help but notice. You’re also studying some sort of biology, and I myself am very interested in immunology, so I just… noticed.” Delphine folds her arms in and blushes a deep scarlet.

 

Cosima giggles and mutters, “Well, I think it’s very cute. And like, totally hot.”  Delphine’s mouth drops open, and a slow-cooked warmth seeps in through her tummy and up into the marrow of her bones. She blushes harder and folds in on herself, tucking her chin into her chest and bobbing her head a few times while murmuring a self conscious reply. The bright glare of the screen catches her eye as she ducks down, and suddenly she cranes her head, weaving and bobbing in a feeble attempt to see what queer information Cosima is reading this time; it is a site she has never seen for research before. Cosima’s still talking, and she only grasps the end when Cosima catches her peeking. “...And yeah! Hey, Delphine, I think you’re really pretty and would you like to go with me- What are you looking at.”

 

She slams down the lid of the computer with a furious blush, and shuts the cover of her notebook with her other hand, which Delphine now notices is adorned spontaneously with flashes of silver and red. She coils into herself snake-like, and it is utterly adorable. Delphine is falling, drowning, sinking, and every other variation of love in its sweetest and most bitter moments, swirled into one Cosima/Delphine sundae, if ice cream were clothed warmly and comfortably against the chill of air conditioning and surrounded by rows on rows of books.

 

Delphine’s eyes widen and she fails to catch herself before she asks The Question, one she has asked many times in this library, always with an inherently embarrassed smile. “Wait. Cosima, were you reading fanfiction? I thought you worked and studied here most of the time!”

 

“Shit. Uhm, well, yes, most of the time I do, but I had a… lapse in concentration. Or something like that.” She swivels back around and flips the lid up, scrolling with one hand and gesticulating wildly with the other, punctuating each statement with another gesture that build upon the previous action. “So, like, I got bored. Which is totally usual, don’t worry too much.” A self-deprecating grin accompanies that one, and Delphine feels a pang of want, to wrap Cosima in her arms and curl up with her on a comfortably large sofa. “I went back into the archives- lemme tell ‘ya, this is like, 2008 for you, and scrolled through to my favorite Hermione/Ginny fics. Lucky I had most of them saved and favorited on LiveJournal and ff.net, so finding them wasn’t too difficult, but still- Shit, I’m sorry, are you following me? Sometimes I talk too quickly and it’s tough shit for everyone else to follow, but you seemed to be doing okay, and wow. Sorry, am I weirding you out yet?”

 

She must still be sitting there with a drastically large gap where her lips are supposed to meet, and Cosima can probably see and count each and every molar, canine, and incisor. Delphine chomps shut quickly and her face brightens once again to the pink that now seems to accompany talking to Cosima.

 

“Firstly, yes, I would love to go with you anywhere. Except, I refuse to become a member of radical movements, protests, KKK meetings, and screenings of the movie Ponyo, but I suspect you had none of those up your sleeve.” Cosima looks pensive and rather guilty for a moment, and opens her mouth but shuts it again quickly in favor of a cheeky grin. Delphine continues on through it. “Name the time and place, and we’ll see about it,” she says.

 

Cosima looks utterly delighted. It is extremely sweet, and something clicks! inside Delphine, something simple and elegant and loving, and she’s sure that someone being this endearing has to mean something for her. She’s never really considered bisexuality or anything of the sort for herself previously, but Cosima seems to be worth it. And sexuality is a fluid thing, no?

 

“Well… Awesome. You’re awesome. If I’m going to name a time and a place, I think I’m going to need your number, right?” It’s a bit of a fumble, but Cosima half-stammers the words out and Delphine’s smile only widens further. They exchange contact details by swapping phones, and Delphine turns to walk away.

 

She only gets about 3 steps away before a excessively loud whisper from Cosima stops her in her tracks. “Wait, Delphine! You said ‘firstly’, right? What the hell was the second thing?”

“Three things, now that you ask, and I think of it . Secondly, please be quieter in the future. This is, after all, a library, and you would do well to respect it as such. Thirdly, and finally, I’m more of a Harry and Ginny person myself. I wouldn’t be opposed to being exposed to Hermione and Ginny as a ship, though. See you soon, Cosima.” Delphine swivels on her heel, turning her back on a open-mouthed, wide-eyed Cosima, and strides smoothly into the stacks.

 

She holds it in as long as she can but when she’s far enough in, out of Cosima's incredulous eyes, Delphine stops and leans against the shelves. Delphine presses a hand to her forehead, and tries to suppress her giggles as best as she can.

 

**Author's Note:**

> what does it even mean to people with degrees in library sciences? what do you even DO with that degree?
> 
> let me know in the comments! also, let me know what you thought of the fic, and hit the kudos if you liked it!


End file.
